a viacom presentation 1971

Viacom (CBS)

• One version of the logo replaces the red background with black. This could've been because of film deterioration, however.
• Some prints of this logo have faded color that shifts to a red hue, affecting all 4 color backgrounds; this is due to the fading of a color 16mm stock (notably early Eastman).
• Other sources would have this logo completely out of sync with the sound effects.
• The logo is in B&W on early '70s prints of The Andy Griffith Show , Perry Mason , I Love Lucy , The Dick Van Dy ke Show, Our Miss Brooks , The Phil Silvers Show, The Twilight Zone , and The Beverly Hillbillies , among other classic shows. It also appears on a VHS of The Andy Griffith Show released by Premier Promotions, titled The Andy Griffith Show Double Feature Volume 33 .
• There is a dark color variant, possibly due to film deterioration.
• Only a split second of the logo (only the first "ping" of the logo's soundtrack playing over a red screen) was shown on a 2012 Australian TV airing of Hogan's Heroes , due to being plastered by the 8th logo.
• In-credit text such as "A Viacom (Enterprises) Presentation (or "Production")" or "In Association With Viacom Enterprises" would be shown on The $2 5,000 Pyramid and Goodson-Todman game shows, among other co-produced series and TV movies. This continued on into the '80s on shows like Family Feud .
• The logo may be silent on some prints.
• Sometimes, especially on PAL prints, the music is of a slightly higher pitch.
• The soundtrack might sound distorted on some prints. This happens because lab technicians print the soundtrack onto the film at a louder volume than usual.
• One variation has the soundtrack out-of-sync with the logo. This was seen on Season 11, Episode 20 (Me-TV airing) and Season 12, Episode 12 (Odyssey/Hallmark airing) of My Three Sons .
• The color version turned up on many season 11 & 12 episodes of My Three Sons on Odyssey Network/The Hallmark Channel back in the early 2000s. Many variations have also been spotted on these episodes when shown on Me-TV, as part of an unusual combo with CBS Television Distribution preceding it (with the exception of one episode, S12 E23, which first aired on August 2, 2018.) These sightings mark the first known time this Viacom logo has been seen on national American television since the Odyssey/Hallmark airings from the early 2000s.
• The dark variant was spotted on several color episodes of My Three Sons and the Magnetic Video VHS release of 5 Terrytoon Cartoons Featuring Heckle and Jeckle .
• This logo also appears on earlier 16mm syndication dupes of shows/movies distributed by Viacom, mostly before 1976; Such shows include: My Three Sons , Hogan's Heroes, and The Beverly Hillbillies , which occasionally appear on eBay.
• This logo can also be seen on some older prints of episodes of The Banana Splits and Friends Show , Josie and the Pussycats , Whirlybirds , Petticoat Junction , pre-mid-1970s prints of The Rookies (which is now with Sony Pictures Television), Family Affair , The Houndcats , and the Canadian produced TV series The Amazing World of Kreskin , among others; that includes 16mm kinescopes.
• This logo has been sighted on a DVD from Mill Creek, '100 Awesomely Cheesy Movies', which is a repackaging of another 2 Mill Creek DVD sets. On 'The Swingin' Seventies' section of the DVD, the 1970 TV Movie version of Jane Eyre retains the color logo at the end.
• Only a small amount of home media releases retain this logo. At least one VHS release of The Houndcats has this logo, but it is unknown how many more have it, including releases from Trans World Entertainment , or the recent DVD releases. It was also spotted on a VHS of The Andy Griffith Show by Premier Promotions.
• The in-credit text can be seen on What's My Line? on Buzzr.
• With all that said, consider yourself very lucky if you see this logo on TV or even on video, or through any other medium.
• A network television version, used from 1979 until 1985, usually had the black " V " and the name " Viacom " zooming-in together and stopping once it has come to a huge size, with a sea green / dark blue background. However, some showings have the "V" and the word " Viacom " sliding-in from opposite sides of the screen.
• A variation of the network version features a copyright stamp for "Viacom International" appearing at the bottom once the " V " stopped to zoom almost completely.
• A network television variation with a mirrored " V " has also been spotted, where the logo flips up.
• The original version of this logo was filmed, and was used from 1976 until 1985.
• A black & white version of the filmed " V " was used in the earlier years.
• On the earlier color variant of the filmed version, the " V " is black , with a light blue background.
• Videotaped versions have " A " and " Viacom " spaced farther apart, and the animation is more smooth. This was used from 1978 to 1986. Color variants include monochrome, p urple background with dark blue " V ", and faint purple with blue " V ", among others.
• Some filmed variants feature the " V " actually stopping right before it cuts to black. This was largely common in its earlier years (especially in black & white variants).
• An extremely rare videotaped variant featuring a yellow " V " was used on some syndicated prints of The Honeymooners , appearing in a giant moon over a cityscape where the credits appear. This is a result of a chroma-key mistake. This variation was given the nickname "V of Moon".
• There is also a rare videotaped variant with a jungle green background and a Charleston green " V " .
• An extremely rare turquoise variant with an ultramarine blue " V " was used in 1984. Th e "V" stops moving before we fade to black.
• A videotaped variant of this logo has an orange background and a midnight blue " V " seen on 1978 episodes of You Don't Say! . There is also a warp speed version of this.
• An extremely rare videotaped variant with the logo superimposed in a circle over a moving starfield background was used on the short-lived series Hot City . This is nicknamed the "V in Space".
• There is an uncommon "warp-speed" videotaped variation that has a much sped up logo and music. This was used along side co-distributor idents and was seen from 1979-1986.
• An extremely rare videotaped variant that flashes different colors reputedly exists. I t was reported to be seen on an airing of The Honeymooners episode entitled "A Man's Pride" on The Comedy Network in Canada. A reconstruction can be seen <a href=" https://youtu.be/-SHA454qzFM " target="_self">here</a>; no evidence of the actual logo has surfaced as of yet. This variant is unofficially nicknamed the "Rainbow V of Doom".
• A variant where the " V " is dark red on a pink background appeared on the 1985 syndicated series The Star Games . It also appeared on a 1994 rerun of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show .
• A videotaped variant with a lime background was found on an episode of The Andy Griffith Show on TBS in 1992 and on the Perry Mason S8 episode "The Case of the Wrongful Writ" on a March 13, 1991 TBS broadcast.
• Dark variants of the Film-O-Vision version in color and B&W, due to film deterioration, exist.
• The first second was lopped off on Magnetic Video's VHS release of Blue Hawaii .
• There was a high pitched, slightly sped up version of the videotaped variant spotted on the Cannon episode "He Who Digs a Grave (Part 2)" on Me-TV. As of May 2019, this variant is still intact.
• An ultra dark/deteriorated black and white version exists, in which the background is nearly black and the " V " is almost invisible. This was spotted on a Me-TV airing of Perry Mason as well as on a 16mm print of an episode of I Love Lucy.
• A "blacked-out" variant also exists on film prints of episodes of Greatest Heroes of the Bible on the Internet Archive, which has the "V of Doom" music on either the "END OF PART ONE" or "THE END" card, likely due to sloppy plastering.
• In-credit text would either say "A Viacom (Enterprises) Presentation", "In Association with Viacom Enterprises", "Distributed by Viacom Enterprises", or "Produced in association with Viacom Enterprises" would be shown on The $2 5,000 Pyramid , the Goodson-Todman game shows, and some TV and theatrical movies.
• Usually, the music used was a 5-note synthesized fanfare, along with a timpani drum roll playing throughout with a final, rather loud p ound at the end. Even after the logo faded (or cut) to black , the timpani's echo could still be heard.
• The very first version of this logo featured the "Pinball" music from the first logo and was used eventually until late 1978 (and was also often used when replacing the original "Pinball" logo) . This variant is also known as the " V o f Pinball ".
• The very first version of the normal 1976 music had a slightly faster tempo/low-pitched version of the usual music, used on the same logo with the very dark blue / black "V" logo, and it was also used in tandem with the standard filmed variant.
• For the network TV variant, it used only the closing theme of the show or TV movie, or none.
• PAL versions of the logo were in a higher pitch and had a slightly faster sequence of synthesizer notes.
• In some rare cases, the closing theme of the show was used, or none.
• The turquoise variant of the logo has two extra pounds of the timpani at the end.
• Sometimes, the "V of Doom" music cuts off right before the last timpani beat, removing the final echo in the process. This was heard on the Magnetic Video release of Don't Give Up the Ship .
• Sometimes on the filmed variant, the first note or two can be cut off. Often, the final bit of the show's closing theme will play over the logo briefly. This is caused by a bad splice on the film between the credits and the logo. An example of this would be the Season 11 finale to My Three Sons .
• On The Beverly Hillbillies episode "Christmas with the Clampetts", and perhaps other episodes from the first two seasons, it has a generic theme (the show's theme couldn't be used due to it being copyrighted while episodes from the first two seasons have fallen into the public domain) playing over the filmed version of this logo.
• On t he Have Gun-Will Travel season 3 episode "Fragile" on Me-TV and H&I, the 1987 Paramount Television theme plays faintly over a black screen before the videotaped variant appears, due to a double plaster.
• On the Hot City variant, the music starts playing over the last bit of the closing song.
• V of Pinball : The B&W filmed variant with the "Pinball" theme is near extinct at this stage. It appears on the Magnetic Video releases of King Creole (also on the 1985 Key Video re-release) and Visit to a Small Planet . This variant was also recently discovered on a 16mm print of The Phil Silvers Show . Its color counterpart has been seen on the 1975 TV movie Eric , and may be intact on that film's VHS release, the Magnetic Video release of Girls! Girls! Girls! (also on the 1985 Key Video re-release), the Australian Magnetic Video VHS of All in a Night's Work , and on one mid-1970s print of an early color episode of Gunsmoke , which aired on Superstation WTBS back in 1986.
• Filmed Variant : It appears at the end of most Viacom syndication prints of the time, on shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show , I Love Lucy , The Andy Griffith Show , The Phil Silvers Show , and My Three Sons . It appeared on the Season 11 finale of My Three Sons on Hallmark back around 2000 and was again seen on a Me-TV airing of the latter on July 2, 2018, strangely with CBS Television Distribution preceding it. It appeared on some TV movies from the era, such as Police Story , The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan , and Top Secret (1978), among others. It was also seen on the original Magnetic Video VHS releases of many feature films, such as Last Train from Gun Hill and possibly All in a Night's Work ; those featuring Elvis Presley, including G.I. Blues (also on the 1985 Key Video re-release) and Blue Hawaii ; those featuring Jerry Lewis, including Don't Give Up the Ship (don't expect to see this on any of their laserdiscs or Greatest Sports Legends tapes, though); and at the end of earlier video prints of the 1981 film Firebird 2015 AD and the 1980 film The Unseen , while the videotaped variant makes a strange appearance at the beginning of the latter film (the same also applied to an '80s broadcast on the USA Network). The filmed variant can be seen on Cozi TV airings of episodes from the first two seasons of The Beverly Hillbillies , due to said network using public domain prints of that show. It also appeared on Nelvana's first special A Cosmic Christmas ; this is intact on current prints of the special whenever it gets aired on TV, as well as YTV Direct's print on YouTube (where it is followed by the 2004 Nelvana logo), in addition to Terror In The Wax Museum on Amazon Prime. The B&W filmed variant was once spotted on an episode of Perry Mason on Me-TV before it was replaced with a later print sometime in 2015. It can also be spotted on almost every episode of The Millionaire, which can occasionally be seen on Decades. The color variant of the filmed variant was seen on some prints of The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and recently (as of 2018) on three episodes of Gunsmoke on Me-TV ("The Witness", "Eleven Dollars", and "Kitty's Love Affair") and one episode ("Like Old Times") on CBS Drama in the UK. The B&W filmed variant variant can also be spotted on DVDs of The Beverly Hillbillies released by the Platinum Disc Corporation , Madacy Entertainment , Mill Creek Entertainment , and GoodTimes Entertainment , among other companies. It is unknown if this was seen on the Magnum Entertainment releases of The Deerslayer , The Last of the Mohicans (1977) or California Gold Rush , the Magnetic Video VHS release and 1985 Key Video re-release of Roustabout , or the 1985 Key Video re-issue of Blue Hawaii .
• Videotaped Variant : The videotaped version used to be somewhat common on Perry Mason on Me-TV, but since 2015, they have started using remastered DVD prints with the CBS Television Distribution logo, although these older prints can still be seen on FETV. It's also seen at the end of most Cannon episodes, mostly between seasons 3-5, shown on Me-TV (and whenever it airs on Decades, owned also by the parent company of Me-TV, Weigel Broadcasting). Several of the "Classic 39" episodes of The Honeymooners, as well as the "lost" episodes, had this logo when they previously aired on WGN America, but newer prints of the latter use the MPI Home Video logo instead. It was also seen on episodes of The (New) Price is Right from 1976-1980. The 1978 and 1983 variants was formerly seen on two episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy ("You Drive" and "One for the Angels") until Syfy acquired updated prints sometime in 2015. It was also surprisingly seen on a 2012 airing of The Missiles of October on Me-TV, before the 1990 "Wigga Wigga" logo; however, newer prints, such as a recent Decades airing, used CTD instead. The warp-speed variant was also recently spotted on a rerun of The Bob Newhart Show S5 episode "Making Up Is the Thing To Do" on Me-TV, Hallmark Channel, Decades (occasionally), Sundance, and FamNET, after the decorated MTM Enterprises logo and preceding the 20th Television logo, and is also available on various season 5 and 6 episodes of that show on Shout Factory 's 2014 complete series set, as well as solo releases of said seasons and Me-TV airings of most season 6 episodes, with the logo on a majority of those episodes being followed by the 20th Television logo. It can be seen on two season 3 episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel on Me-TV and H&I ("Fragile" and "The Black Handkerchief"). It was also seen on some episodes of All in the Family before CPTD (now SPT) acquired the syndication rights to that show. The videotaped variant was also recently spotted on two Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. VHS tapes released by Forum Home Video in 1989, as well as The Devil and Daniel Mouse , which is included as an extra on the Blu-Ray of Nelvana's Rock & Rule . It also makes a strange appearance at the start of the original VHS release of the 1980 film The Unseen (also intact on an '80s USA Network airing), while the filmed variant appears at the end. It can also be found on seasons 3-5 of Cannon on DVD; Season 3 has an odd combo of this with the CBS Television Distribution logo following it, while the remaining two seasons have the videotaped VoD alone. This logo also made a surprise appearance on a recent Decades airing of the season 2 Bob Newhart Show episode "The Modernization of Emily". This variant had recently made a surprise appearance on GSN and Buzzr airings of a 1980 episode of To Tell the Truth . It appeared on original broadcasts of Family Feud 's first syndicated run (where it was preceded by the in-credit text), but does not appear to have ever been retained in repeat airings.
• Silent Variant : Rare. It was seen on old VHS releases of the 1963 movie Fun in Acapulco and the 1966 movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style from Magnetic Video (both of which plaster over the Paramount logo at the end of the film, though the Spanish-dubbed version, as well as the 1985 Key Video reprint (In English) of the latter film used the standard "V of Doom" music), the 1974 TV movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittma n from Prism Entertainment , and the 1976 movie The Amazing World of Psychic Phenomena . It is also retained on the 1985 Key Video re-issue of Fun in Acapulco . It was also spotted on an '80s USA Network airing of the 1968 movie Mission Mars (it is unknown if it's intact on any VHS releases of the movie). 16mm prints of Fun in Acapulco also have this variation.
• Network TV Variant : Near extinction nowadays. During the 1980s, it was seen on various short-lived shows and TV movies produced by this company, such as The Master , The Devlin Connection , Amanda's , Dear Detective , Ace Crawford: Private Eye , The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair , and To Race the Wind , among others; however, very few have been released onto VHS or DVD. Older prints such as VHS releases might have this logo intact but the more recent releases such as on DVD or Blu-Ray generally plaster this with the CTD logo. Cases in point; To Race the Wind , on which said variant is intact, and The Devlin Connection , The Master and The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair , which were released on video by Trans World Entertainment. It is unknown if it's preserved on the USA Home Video releases of East of Eden (1981) or For Ladies Only ; it is, however, surprisingly preserved on the Starmaker Video reprint of the former film.
• Rainbow Variant : Unknown. This variant's existence has yet to be confirmed.
• A short variant exists.
• A extended version also exists, where " From Viacom " is added to the streaking words, followed by the border being formed. It rotates and drops down as a rainbow-trailing outline, before retracting and fading to the gold version, flashing once. The rest is unchanged.
• It was once seen on original airings of the first 3 episodes of 1st season of Matlock on NBC plus its pilot episode (from March 1986), as well as on the Andy Griffith reunion special Return to Mayberry and the first five made-for-TV movie revivals of Perry Mason , but most have all fallen victim of being plastered with the "V of Steel" or "Wigga Wigga", 1995 or 2003 Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount Network Television ("Wallpaper"), or CBS Television Distribution logos .
• Surprisingly, a November 2013 airing of Return to Mayberry on Me-TV left this logo intact, followed by a silent 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo. However, on November 21, 2017, a rebroadcast on said network had it plastered with the CBS Television Distribution logo as it used a newer print.
• It is preserved on the VHS releases of Return to Mayberry , Perry Mason Returns , Really Weird Tales , and a Brazilian VHS release of the Matlock pilot movie Diary of a Perfect Murder , among possible others
• It was also preserved on Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun when it aired on Encore Mystery, but Encore Suspense airings cut the end theme off early and plaster it over with the CBS Television Distribution logo, while Me-TV and Hallmark airings plaster it over with the 1990 "Wigga Wigga" logo.
• It is preserved on the 2016 Kino Lorber DVD of Really Weird Tales , followed by the "Wigga Wigga" logo.
• Opening : Against a space background with twinkling stars, a metallic steel outline of the Viacom "V" and " Viacom " in its familiar Palatino like font zoom back with a metallic steel trail effect. The trail effect finishes as the "V" turns solid and metallic textured and " Viacom " turns solid grey. The logo shines in a similar manner as the "Special Delivery" logo before flying downwards and offscreen.
• Closing : Against a city skyline with a purple night sky with most of the building's lights switched on and twinkling stars, the metallic textured "V" forms out of light particles. The word " Viacom " forms in the same manner as before. The logo shines once completed.
• It appeared on a sales tape for The Lost Honeymooners .
• The closing variant also appeared on Jackie Gleason Presents: the Honeymooners Reunion which has not been seen since its one and only airing in 1986.
• VHS tapes containing this logo and select TV broadcasts have the " V " shining three times.
• A warp speed version of the three shines variant has been seen on the syndicated version of Super Sloppy Double Dare .
• There is also a variant where the " V " shines four times. It has been seen on episodes of Rawhide , Perry Mason , Matlock (seasons 1-4), Hogan's Heroes , The Adventures of the Little Koala , Finders Keepers (Toffler version), Easy Street (1986 series), and the 1986 revival of Split Second . There is also a warp speed version of this, as well as a rare ultra warp speed variant.
• There is a still variant.
• There is a variant where the " V " doesn't shine at all. It was only seen on We Love Lucy ; the 30-minute re-edit of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour .
• On the 1987 Celebrity Double Dare pilot, the logo is revealed with a computer-generated effect before animating.
• There is also a B&W variant.
• There is another sped-up variant of this logo with the music at the normal speed.
• There is also a variant that plays at a slightly slower speed.
• On Fox's Family Double Dare , the logo fades in after the Nickelodeon logo with the " V " is already in place, then the " V " shines two times before fading out.
• There is a variant where both the " V " and the "Viacom" appear to be in higher contrast, making the logo look shinier than before.
• One version had a midnight blue screen with text saying " DISTRIBUTED BY", and then after a second, it cut to the " V " in the middle of its animation, with the full music playing throughout.
• Another version cuts to when the " V " turns. This is unofficially known as the "in-progress" variant.
• There is a variant where the logo starts off in black and white , but quickly changes to color. This was spotted on a 1988 rerun of The Andy Griffith Show on TBS.
• The British Braveworld Video VHS of King Creole has a variant that cuts off the first or so second from the logo.
• On an episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on GetTV, the logo starts fading during the second time it shines.
• The music had a couple of variations over the years. A couple of "warp-speed" versions, one of which is an ultra warp speed version featuring a higher-pitched jingle, can be seen on various programs, if they haven't been plastered.
• In some cases, it used only the closing theme of the show or none.
• Some episodes of Cannon and Perry Mason on Me-TV (before that channel received updated CBSTD prints of the aforementioned episodes of both, though the aforementioned Perry Mason prints have since resurfaced on FETV) have/had the "V of Doom" music playing over this.
• Some episodes of Gunsmoke , Matlock (seasons 1-4), and one episode of Hogan's Heroes (seen in Australia) have the "Wigga-Wigga" music playing over this. A Russian print of Father Dowling Mysteries S1 EP3 also features this over the warp-speed variant, which continues into the CBS Television Distribution logo.
• A very rare variant of the extended warp-speed (3 wipes) variant includes a voice-over. This was seen on a sales tape for the un-aired game show I Predict . As the logo animates, the voice-over is heard saying: "A Ron Greenberg Production, in association with Viacom." (Pronounced "Vee-a-com", similar to Sandy Hoyt on Split Second ).
• A high tone variant exists, which is most likely from a PAL source.
• On an '80s print of the movie Running , the normal variant features two very faint copies of the theme playing and overlapping each other that are both off-sync with the animation , making them continue long after the logo fades to black.
• Regular Variant (One Wipe) : It is currently seen on Rawhide on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally) and H&I. It's also currently seen on most episodes of The Phil Silvers Show on Me-TV, Forces TV (United Kingdom) and occasionally seen on Decades, and it is preserved on the season 2 Shout! Factory DVD of the show, and on most episodes from seasons 3-4 of TPSS on DVD (season 1 on DVD and the British DVD releases use CTD instead), and was on most episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies , as well as Gunsmoke (mostly color reruns) on Me-TV before they were issued updated prints by CBS, although for The Beverly Hillbillies , it can still be seen on some episodes, and as for Gunsmoke , it can still appear on certain episodes from season 14 (the third color season) onward. It was spotted on the 1989 film Sonny Boy on TCM as well as AMC, and has been spotted on syndicated prints of Cannon films, such as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace . This can also be seen on most episodes of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on the recent DVD releases. Seen on '80s prints of other Viacom-distributed shows, including at one point in time, episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (particularly reruns on TBS), as well as episodes of I Love Lucy on Nick at Nite (as well as AMC briefly), Have Gun-Will Travel on Encore Westerns, various prints of The Cosby Show and Roseanne , Rawhide on the Hallmark Channel as well as Encore Westerns, The Millionaire on TV Land, and various episodes of Hogan’s Heroes on Forces TV in the United Kingdom and Fox Classics in Australia, among possible others. It is unknown if this was seen on '80s prints of The Dick Van Dy-ke Show, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Petticoat Junction, The Houndcats, The Harlem Globetrotters (1970s cartoon) , Hawaii Five-0, Amigo and Friends, Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C., The Alvin Show, The Honeymooners, Whirlybirds and Our Miss Brooks , among possible others. It can be seen on the Perry Mason made-for-TV movies from 1987-89, and some from the earlier part of 1990 along with some prints of previous ones (though most use the warp speed variant), but DVDs plaster it over with the CBS Television Distribution logo. However, it is preserved on some VHS tapes such as the British VHS release of Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson , but these aren't easy to come by, and as far as we can tell, have never been released to VHS in the United States. It was also seen on some episodes of Perry Mason on Me-TV before they were issued updated prints by CBS, but these prints can still be seen as of recently on FETV. This logo (and its extended variants) is also seen on various game shows syndicated by Viacom from 1986-1990, including Split Second , Double Dare (this includes recent prints on iTunes), and Remote Control . The B&W variant can be found at the end of select VHS tapes of The Andy Griffith Show that were released by Premier Promotions, including notably The Andy Griffith Show Collector's Series Volume 12: Mayberry Classics , and was recently spotted on a Season 08 episode of Rawhide on Me-TV. This logo was also spotted on British VHS releases of Fun in Acapulco, King Creole, Roustabout and All in a Night's Work , older prints of Dempsey and Makepeace, Father Dowling Mysteries , a Decades broadcast of The Blue Knight (1975), at least one episode of The Twilight Zone on the French version of the Sci-Fi Channel, a Movies! broadcast of the 1971 docudrama Evel Knievel , and international prints of seasons 1-4 (and some of season 5) of Matlock , though most use the warp speed variant. It does appear on a few Season 3-4 episodes of Matlock on CBS Justice (UK). The "in-progress" variant can be found on the MCA/Universal Home Video VHS of Super Force , the unsold Baby on Board pilot from 1988, as well as at least one episode of Rawhide on Me-TV. It has also been seen on some episodes of A Different World on Netflix. It was also spotted on syndicated prints of the 1979 Canadian sports drama, Running with Michael Douglas.
• Extended Variant (3-4 Wipes) : The long variant (3 wipes) can be found on the Family Home Entertainment VHS of The Adventures of the Little Koala and was on at least one episode of Perry Mason on Me-TV before being issued an updated print by CBS, while the original version with 4 wipes is extremely rare, and made its premiere on the short-lived NBC-aired sitcom Easy Street , and was last spotted on the Toffler version of Finders Keepers on the now-defunct Nick GAS network. This is also seen on various game shows syndicated by Viacom from 1986-1990, including Split Second , Double Dare (this includes recent prints on iTunes), and Remote Control . The 3 wipes variant was also recently spotted on an FETV broadcast of the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Poison Pen Pal".
• Silent Variant : Extremely rare. Originally, it could only be seen on syndicated TV prints of The Stepford Wives (the 1975 version), though it was recently spotted on the Forces TV print of the Hogan's Heroes episode, "The Most Escape Proof Camp I've Ever Escaped From", which is from season 2, although Fox Classics’ print has the theme present on it.
• Warp Speed Variant : This can currently be found on some episodes of Rawhide on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally) and H&I. It's also seen on older prints of Matlock (season 1-5, 1990 episodes; current TV prints use the 8th logo instead, while the DVD of S1 uses CBS/Paramount and every other season on DVD uses CTD instead). Oddly, FETV's print of the Matlock S1 episode, "The Don, Part 1" had this preserved. Many Season 3 and 4 episodes of Matlock on CBS Justice (UK) as well as a few season 2 episodes and 2 season 1 episodes keep this logo intact. It s spin-off Jake and the Fatman (DVDs and TV prints of seasons 1 and 2 use CTD instead.) , Father Dowling Mysteries (including a few early season 3 episodes), and a Brazilian VHS of Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (And DVD print) all have this logo . This is also preserved on the season 1 DVD release of Father Dowling Mysteries , preceded by CTD and can be seen on the other two seasons as well. Decades airings use the DVD prints of Father Dowling Mysteries as well. It was also seen on a 2016 British Horror Channel airing of Murder by Moonlight , and was presumably present on the film's original CBS broadcast. It is unknown if this is preserved on season 3 and 1990 episodes of S4 of Jake and the Fatman on DVD. The "DISTRIBUTED BY" variant is ultra rare, as it's only known to exist on older prints of Superboy .
• Warp Speed Variant (Extended) : Extremely rare, usually plastered by either the "Wigga-Wigga", Paramount Domestic Television, CBS/Paramount Domestic/Network Television ("Eye in the Sky" or "Wallpaper"), or CBS Television Distribution logos, though they have been spotted on a few episodes of Rawhide on Me-TV and H&I, and the 4 wipe version was spotted on the Australian television print of the Hogan's Heroes episode "Request Permission to Escape". which is the last episode of season 1 . When the episode aired in the UK on Forces TV, the last wipe was cut off.
• Sped-Up Variant : Seen on Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen . It was also seen on Season 3 and 4 episodes of Matlock , when last aired on CBS Justice in the UK.
• Ultra Warp Speed Variant : The ultra warp speed version can be seen on Netflix's prints, most official YouTube prints, some VHS tapes, and The Family Channel airings of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Legend of Zelda .
• Ultra Warp Speed Variant (Extended) : Extremely rare. Could probably be seen on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Legend of Zelda .
• There is a very rare filmed variant seen on some TV movies from the era.
• Several shows would have the name already formed during the later years, with the only animation being the shining of the letters.
• There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the " VIACOM " text already formed, but a line slides in from the right and forms into " PRODUCTIONS " in Futura Extra Bold font, after which the " C " and the " O " in " VIACOM " shine. This shorter variation was seen on network TV productions from 1998-1999. There was another variant of this in which the text doesn't shine at all, used on Diagnosis : Murder .
• On reruns of the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch pilot on ABC Family (now Freeform), The Hub (now Discovery Family) and Antenna TV, this logo is still (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo) and followed by the 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo.
• A black & white version of this exists on some prints of older B&W shows (though most feature the color version).
• On the 1997 TV movie, The Right Connections , the words " in association with " are seen over the logo's background, then fades out when the animation starts.
• On WPIX's print of the Honeymooners episode "The Sleepwalker", the logo freezes before it is fully formed. The audio is distorted in this variant. It's likely an error in production.
• On the 1996 TV movie Brothers of the Frontier and a Me-TV airing of Matlock S7 episode "The Class", the short version of the logo is played in slow motion.
• On the 1998 TV movie Inferno , the Productions variant has the text " Viacom Productions, Inc. Exclusive D istributor " in two lines below.
• Usually, a synthesized rock score is used, complete with drums, a synthesizer and even a guitar. Telephone-like "wigga-wigga" sounds are heard as the line zig-zags.
• For the newly-formed Viacom International, the same logo is accompanied by different music. A synthesized whoosh is heard first, leading into a jingle played on a flute being heard as the line uncurls. As the logo finishes, a faint choir is heard in the background. Synthesized "shining" sounds can be heard throughout the entire logo. The LaFontaine voice-over is still heard.
• There is a version where the LaFontaine voice-over cuts in earlier.
• Some versions have no LaFontaine voice-over. The Viacom Productions logo is one of these, except the variant used on Diagnosis: Murder . An extremely short version with no LaFontaine voice-over was seen for a brief time in 1996. This version would also have the Paramount Domestic Television logo play almost immediately afterwards.
• There was a warped version during later years.
• There is a low toned variant for the short version that appeared after an episode of The Twilight Zone .
• A high pitched variant exists. It's usually seen on PAL prints of Viacom-distributed shows and movies with this logo.
• In some cases, it used the closing theme of the show, generic network music on CBS, NBC, and ABC, or it was silent.
• There is a variant with the "V of Doom" theme playing instead on several early- 1990 s syndie prints of classic TV movies from the era, plastering the 1976 filmed logo.
• There is another variant with the "V of Doom" music now playing faintly instead on some episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy, Perry Mason , and The Honeymooners both on Me-TV and last aired on WGN America. Sometimes, the short version plays with the normal music, bu t the " V of Doom" music can be heard again faintly in the background. This is some times called the "Ghost of the V o f Doom".
• There is a variant with the "V of Steel" theme playing instead on one episode of Gunsmoke as well as a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode " The What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery" on AXN Crime. Father Dowling Mysteries S2 EP1 on the Russian CBS Drama channel also features this.
• One episode of Rawhide on Me-TV has the warp-speed version of the logo with the warp-speed "V of Steel" music playing over it.
• A variant with the sped-up "V of Steel" music was reportedly sighted on a British rerun of the Matlock episode "The Brothers".
• Another variant with the warp-speed VoS music playing under the regular version was spotted on a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode "The Mafia Priest Mystery: Part 2" on AXN Crime. This is unofficially called the "Ghost of the V of Steel". This may also have been spotted on an Australian airing of a Jake and the Fatman episode.
• The Viacom Productions variant has used the music from the final logo below on certain occasions. This has been sighted on an international print of the eighth episode of S7 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , "Bada-Ping!", an Antenna TV airing of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch S7 episode "Sabrina Unplugged" , and has also been reported to appear on some episodes of the final season of Diagnosis: Murder .
• A variant of the original "Wigga Wigga" logo without the announcer in it also exists.
• Regular Variant : It was spotted on the film I'm All Right Jack on TCM, two episodes of Cannon on the season 3 DVD (one episode on Me-TV, S03 E03,) syndicated prints of Cannon Group films such as Masters of the Universe , and one episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on DVD. It has been spotted on reruns of color episodes of Gunsmoke on Me-TV and TV Land, albeit in split screen form on the latter channel, and was also spotted on The Alvin Show when re-ran on Nickelodeon. However, recent prints of Gunsmoke episodes from Season 12 (the first color season) and Season 13 and are now restored and now use CTD, though it can possibly still be spotted on almost all other episodes from Season 14 on (needs further confirmation). It was also seen when Have Gun-Will Travel aired on Encore Westerns in the early 2010s, as well as some episodes of Perry Mason, Hogan's Heroes (these prints now air on U.K. television network Forces TV and Australian cable channel Fox Classics), and The Beverly Hillbillies on Me-TV and occasionally Decades before they both were issued updated prints by CBS (though it can be still be found in the majority of color episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies (S05-S09) and formerly on select episodes of Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. ; for the latter show, all episodes have been restored and use either CBS-Paramount or CTD. FETV prints of Perry Mason still have this logo intact on many episodes. In the past, episodes of I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on Nick at Nite and TV Land had this logo as well. It could also been seen on the Perry Mason TV movies from 1991-95, and some prints of older ones, but DVDs plaster it with the CTD logo. The high pitched variant was recently spotted on a British television broadcast of California Gold Rush . This can also be found on Family Affair , My Three Sons (it also appeared on Season 11, Episode 12 of that show after the CBS Television Distribution logo on a June 14, 2018 airing on Me-TV), VHS releases of Payoff (1991), a recent European TV broadcast and Me-TV airings of the 1973 TV film A Dream for Christmas , the 2009 Warner Archive DVD-R of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), the Republic Pictures VHS of Rent-a-Kid, the Prism Entertainment VHS of Memories of Murder , VHS copies of The Right Connections, The Operation (AKA: Bodily Harm ) (2007 Lifetime prints had the 7th logo), recent Movies! broadcasts of Day of the Animals (1977) and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia , the Mexican VHS release of the Greatest Heroes of the Bible episode "Abraham's Sacrifice", They Watch , the Starmaker Video VHS releases of Last Train from Gun Hill , Donner Pass: The Road to Survival , Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race , and Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love , among possible others, a Brazilian VHS of the Sunn Classics adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher , the Kino Lorber DVD of Really Weird Tales (after the 5th logo), the Vidmark Entertainment VHS of Murder by Moonlight , and international prints of Rawhide , along with some recent prints on Heroes & Icons.
• Warp Speed Variant : It's currently found on Matlock on WGN America, Me-TV, Decades, FETV, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (it plasters over the the 7th logo on many episodes from seasons 1 to 4, along with earlier season 5 episodes, and the 5th logo on later syndicated prints of the pilot episode for that show; DVDs use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1 while 2-9 have CTD). Some episodes from seasons 6 and 7, and possibly 8, use the regular variant instead. Also seen on the first 3 seasons and early season 4 episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Antenna TV (DVDs have the CBS/Paramount "Eye In The Sky" logo for season 1, while seasons 2-3 have the "Wallpaper" logo and 4-7 have CTD. Hulu prints use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1). It's also seen on the first five seasons of Diagnosis: Murder on DVD, Encore Suspense, Me-TV, Decades (occasionally), and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (however, DVDs of season 2 use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo instead). It was also preserved at the end of the DVD print of the Jake and the Fatman S4 episode, "It Never Entered My Mind", which is included on the Diagnosis: Murder season 1 DVD. It is unknown if this same print is retained on the Jake and the Fatman complete series boxset, or if said boxset retains this logo on later season 4 episodes as well as S5 episodes.
• Ultra Warp Speed Variant : The version where the LaFontaine voice-over cuts in earlier was formerly seen on S1 episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy (though some episodes were known to contain the 2nd logo); recently, Syfy and Me-TV had acquired new, updated prints with the CBS Television Distribution logo, making the logo quite rare. It may still be intact on some episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , and was spotted on a December 2018 Me-TV broadcast of the Gunsmoke episode "P.S. Murry Christmas", and can possibly be seen on episodes from the later seasons. It was also intact on many Season 17 episodes of Gunsmoke on the UK CBS Channels. This was also seen on at least one episode of Rawhide on H&I. This variant appeared on some Season 2 episodes of Matlock and some season 2 episodes of Father Dowling Mysteries when aired on CBS Justice (UK).
• Productions Variant : Seen on season 4 episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Seasons 5 through 7 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder , among other Viacom productions at the time.
• International Variant : It was present on syndicated and international prints (though some used the regular variant) of The Cosby Show and Roseanne , but it is now plastered with the Carsey-Werner Distribution logo, though some prints have survived, but not all of them. The international version, and sometimes the regular variant, can be seen on some episodes of A Different World on Netflix, including the pilot, and was also seen on Terrytoon prints that were distributed around in the 1990s, as well as reportedly, one episode of The Beverly Hillbillies on the Fox Classics Network in Australia.
• A still version of this logo exists (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo).
• In 2002, the words were made bolder, and the letters at the start are brighter.
• Sometimes on the 2002 version, "in association with" spreads out above.
• A 4:3 version of the 2002 version stretched to 16:9 exists.
• A cropped 16:9 version can be seen on most widescreen movies/shows.
• Another version has the cropped 16:9 logo zoomed out with borders. This can be seen in 4:3 or 16:9.
• There is a true 16:9 version.
• A shorter version cuts to either the first quarter or to the last.
• There is a slower version.
• A filmed version appears on some TV movies.
• On some shows, there is the word "in association with" on top of the "\/|/\CO/\/\" logo.
• A descending crystallized wind chime-like sound effect culminating in a synth explosion, followed by a robotic voice saying the word "Viacom" faintly.
• The robotic voice was shortened in 2002.
• Very early broadcasts featured the 1990 and 1998 network TV music. This can be seen on "updated" airings of s eason 7 epi sodes of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV and at least one season 4 episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch .
• There is also a silent variant.
• A version in which the wind chime sound effect plays faster also exists.
• A sped-up higher pitch version also exists.
• Sometimes, it has the end theme of the show or TV movie or generic network music, as seen on NBC, CBS and UPN.
• It can be seen on any show or TV movie produced by Viacom from 1999-2004; these include seasons 4-7 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Antenna TV (plastered on the DVDs by CBS Television Distribution), The Division on Start TV, season 1 of The 4400 last aired on USA Network, and seasons 7 & 8 of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally), Encore Suspense, DVD (possibly), and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well as the final two TV movies spun off from that show.
• The still version can be seen on some season 8 and "updated" season 7 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV, Encore Suspense, Decades (occasionally), Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, DVD (possibly), and original CBS airings of Diagnosis: Murder from 2000-2001.
• It was also spotted at the end of Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story .

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Viacom International (CBS)

• View history
• 1 Background
• 2.1.1 1st logo (1971-1976)
• 2.1.2 2nd logo (1976-1986)
• 2.1.3 Variants
• 2.1.4 3rd logo (1981)
• 2.1.5 4th logo (1984-1986)
• 2.1.6 5th logo (1985-1987)
• 2.1.7 6th logo (1985-1986)
• 2.1.8 7th logo (1986-1990)
• 2.1.9 Variants
• 2.1.10 8th logo (1990-2000)
• 2.1.11 Variants
• 2.1.12 9th logo (1999-2004)
• 2.2.1 10th logo (2017)
• 2.3.1 11th logo (2019-2020)
• 2.3.2 12th logo (2020-2022)
• 3.1 1st logo
• 3.2 2nd logo
• 3.3 3rd logo
• 3.4 4th logo
• 3.5 5th logo
• 3.6 6th logo
• 3.7.1 Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants
• 3.8 8th logo
• 3.9 9th logo
• 3.10 10th logo
• 3.11 11th logo
• 3.12 12th logo
• 4.1 1st logo
• 4.2 2nd logo
• 4.3 3rd logo
• 4.4 4th logo
• 4.5 5th logo
• 4.6 6th logo
• 4.7 7th logo
• 4.8 8th logo
• 4.9 9th logo
• 4.10 10th logo
• 4.11 11th logo
• 4.12 12th logo

Background [ ]

Viacom Productions (or simply Viacom, otherwise known as the V of doom) was the production company of CBS. The company formed from CBS Films (1952-1970). There first name was "CBS Television Film Sales." In 2006, they split up with CBS, forming Viacom Inc., and later re-merged in 2019 to form ViacomCBS.

Fun Fact: "Viacom" is derived from the company's full name, " Vi deo & A udio Com munications."

Viacom International [ ]

1st logo (1971-1976) [ ].

The word " ViACOM " in white, a group of letters at a time (in an ascending number: " V " (1), " iA " (2) and " COM " (3)), slide in from the right, with the background changing color as each one stops. As the screen fades to purple, the letter " V " slides in. Then " iA " slides in, changing the background to green. Then " COM " slides in, changing the background to red. When the word " ViACOM " is formed, the camera quickly pans outward and the words " A " and " PRESENTATiON " are seen to the left and right of the word " ViACOM ", over a blue background. The logo is actually in the same font as The Mary Tyler Moore Show logo (called "Peignot").

2nd logo (1976-1986) [ ]

On a sky blue (or lavender) background, the text " A Viacom Presentation " in a Palatino-like typeface zooms-in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace, then stops abruptly (on the filmed variant) when it gets near to the screen. Then, a fancy-cut, navy blue " V " (a downward trapezoid with a curved line in the near center) comes from the center and moves gradually closer and closer to the screen. When it gets to the point where the " V " takes up nearly the entire screen, the screen suddenly cuts to black or fades to black (depending on the version of the logo), with the " V " presumably still moving ever closer.

Variants [ ]

• Usually, the black " V " and the name " Viacom " zoom-in together and stop smoothly once it has come to a huge size.
• Sometimes, the " V " slides-in from the left with " Viacom " sliding-in from the right.
• A variation of the network version features a copyright stamp for "Viacom International" appearing at the bottom once the " V " stopped to zoom almost completely.
• A network television variation with a mirrored " V " has also been spotted, where the logo flips up.
• A still version of the network version exists.
• In the videotaped variants, the words " A " and " Viacom " spaced farther apart, the text has a slightly noticeable drop shadow (as opposed to being completely flat), and the animation is more smooth. This was used from 1978 to 1986. Color variants include monochrome, purple background with dark blue " V ", and faint purple with blue " V ", among others.
• Some filmed variants feature the " V " actually stopping right before it cuts to black. This was largely common in its earlier years (especially in black & white variants).
• There's a variant where the videotape was infected by the infamous vinegar syndrome (not to be confused with the DVD/Blu-Ray company).
• A YouTube variant exists where the logo is in black-and-white, warped, and on a filmstrip. The filmstrip slips to the right as it is pushed through a film gate (which is off-screen) and disappears, taking the logo with it.

3rd logo (1981) [ ]

On a black background, there is the " V " rotating to the center in a rainbow streak. Then, the rainbow streak lines out of the logo. After that, the " V " flashes to bright cerulean and the word " Viacom " in the same color flashes in with the word "presents" below. As the opening theme comes up, they zoom up to the left corner of the " V " step-by-step until it engulfs the screen with blue. At the end of the reel, there is the " V " with the word " Viacom " in blue and the word "from" above the " V " and they all zoom in towards the viewer.

4th logo (1984-1986) [ ]

It starts off in outer space. The words " Special " and " Delivery " streaks through the sun that is in the background leaving a rainbow trail. Then on a blue/black gradient background, the two words fly to a ring with wings. " From Viacom " with " Viacom " bigger, are also in this logo above the familiar " V " from the 2nd logo. The logo then constantly shines throughout the logo, with it occasionally flashing. At the end, a firework flash effect emerges from the logo.

5th logo (1985-1987) [ ]

On a black background, there is a still image of the Viacom " V " logo in blue. Below that is the " Viacom " name in white.

6th logo (1985-1986) [ ]

• Opening: Against a space background with twinkling stars, a metallic steel outline of the Viacom " V " and " Viacom " in its familiar Palatino like font zoom back with a metallic steel trail effect. The trail effect finishes as the " V " turns solid and metallic textured and " Viacom " turns solid gray. The logo shines in a similar manner as the "Special Delivery" logo before flying downwards and offscreen.
• Closing: Against a city skyline with a purple night sky with most of the building's lights switched on and twinkling stars, the metallic textured " V " forms out of light particles. The word " Viacom " forms in the same manner as before. The logo shines once completed.

7th logo (1986-1990) [ ]

It starts out with a screen, divided half black/purple gradient on top and half silver on the bottom with a bright light flare shining between. The silver part then rotates counter-clockwise (a la CBS/Fox Video ), revealing it is a steel version of the " V " logo as the background changes to a black/blue/purple gradient. The word " Viacom " flies in from the upper-left of the screen and places itself under the " V ", and the " V " shines. Sometimes, the "V" shines three or four times. There is also a warp speed and ultra warp speed version of the standard (one wipe) and the four wipes version.

• VHS tapes containing this logo and select TV broadcasts have the "V" shining three times.
• A warp speed version of the three shines variant has been seen on the syndicated version of Super Sloppy Double Dare .
• There is also a variant where the "V" shines four times. It has been seen on episodes of Rawhide , Perry Mason , Matlock (seasons 1-4), Hogan's Heroes , The Adventures of the Little Koala , Finders Keepers (Toffler version), Easy Street (1986 series), and the 1986 revival of Split Second . There is also a warp speed version of this, as well as a rare ultra warp speed variant.
• There is a still variant.
• There is a variant where the "V" doesn't shine at all. It was only seen on We Love Lucy ; the 30-minute re-edit of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour .
• On the 1987 Celebrity Double Dare pilot, the logo is revealed with a computer-generated effect before animating.
• There is also a B&W variant.
• There is another sped-up variant of this logo with the music at the normal speed.
• There is also a variant that plays at a slightly slower speed.
• On Fox's Family Double Dare , the logo fades in after the Nickelodeon logo with the "V" is already in place, then the "V" shines two times before fading out.
• There is a variant where both the "V" and the word "Viacom" appear to be in higher contrast, making the logo look shinier than before.
• One version had a midnight blue screen with text saying "DISTRIBUTED BY", and then after a second, it cut to the "V" in the middle of its animation, with the full music playing throughout.
• Another version cuts to when the "V" turns. This is unofficially known as the "in-progress" variant.
• There is a variant where the logo starts off in black and white, but quickly changes to color. This was spotted on a 1988 rerun of The Andy Griffith Show on TBS.
• The British Braveworld Video VHS of King Creole has a variant that cuts off the first or so second from the logo.
• On an episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on GetTV, the logo starts fading during the second time it shines.

8th logo (1990-2000) [ ]

On a shaded blue background, a silver " V " flies from the bottom left and then backwards. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the name (it shines as it does this), with the " A " and " M " still taking the form of zig-zags, forming the word, " VIACOM ". The completed logo, which kind of looks like "\/|/\CO/\/\", shines. On network TV productions from 1998-2006, we see the " VIACOM " text already formed, but a line slides in from the right and forms into " PRODUCTIONS " in Futura Extra Bold font, after which the " C " and the " O " in " VIACOM " shine.

• There is a very rare 16mm filmed variant seen on some TV movies from the era.
• Several shows would have the name already formed during the later years, with the only animation being the shining of the letters.
• There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the "VIACOM" text already formed, but a line slides in from the right and forms into "PRODUCTIONS" in Futura Extra Bold font, after which the "C" and the "O" in "VIACOM" shine. This shorter variation was seen on network TV productions from 1998-2003. There was another variant of this in which the text doesn't shine at all, used on Diagnosis: Murder .
• On reruns of the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch pilot on ABC Family (now Freeform), The Hub (now Discovery Family) and Antenna TV, this logo is still (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo) and followed by the 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo.
• A black & white version of this exists on some prints of older B&W shows (though most feature the color version).
• On the 1997 TV movie, The Right Connections , the words "in association with" are seen over the logo's background, then fades out when the animation starts. It was also spotted on another TV movie, In the Doghouse (1998), as well as the short-lived UPN series from 1995, Deadly Games .
• On WPIX's print of the Honeymooners episode "The Sleepwalker", the logo freezes before it is fully formed. The audio is distorted in this variant. It's likely an error in production.
• On the 1996 TV movie Brothers of the Frontier (last seen on CBS Justice UK, and Disney Channel in the United States) and a Me-TV airing of Matlock S7 episode "The Class", the short version of the logo is played in slow motion.
• On the 1998 TV movie Inferno and the 1999 TV movie The Apartment Complex , the Productions variant has the text " Viacom Productions, Inc. Exclusive Distributor " in two lines below.

9th logo (1999-2004) [ ]

On a smoky blue background, there are the glass letters of "\/|/\ CO /\/\" zooming out, being stacked in front of each other, then spreading out. The background is full of "Wigga-Wigga"-type "\/|/\ CO /\/\" letters along with a blue smoke effect slowly clearing out. Underneath "\/|/\ CO /\/\" is the text " PRODUCTIONS " in Futura Extra Bold font moving up ala the "Float In" animation of the Microsoft PowerPoint with a line and the byline " a Paramount company " (in the text used for the Paramount Pictures logo) fading in below "\/|/\ CO /\/\ PRODUCTIONS ". In 2002, the words were made bolder, and the letters at the start are brighter.

Viacom (2006-2019) [ ]

10th logo (2017) [ ].

Just the name "VIACOM" in the 2006 font appearing letter-by-letter as letters change by quickly (like the Matrix, hence the name "ViacoMatrix") in a more normal-looking font.

ViacomCBS [ ]

11th logo (2019-2020) [ ].

Amongst a hazy blue-grey background, there is the ViacomCBS logo (with a box of the same background around it) zoom out to fit with the background. They also see 2 blue-grey triangles on the side zoom out.

12th logo (2020-2022) [ ]

On a blue background, the text "VIACOMCBS" is copied from top to bottom about three times, then the three duplicates of the text disappear quickly. The text zooms in as series of varied blue bars slides in from the left to reveal a white background. After this, the text begins appearing in different colors: VIACOM In dark blue and CBS in sky blue.

Music/Sounds [ ]

1st logo [ ].

4 synthesized ascending pinball-like chimes. The first 3 bring up the letters to "ViACOM", and the last, which plays over the zoom-out, has a zap-like "WHOOSH" that blends in with the last bell, combined with a synth chord and gurgling/telephone-like sounds.

2nd logo [ ]

Here are the main music variants used on this logo:

• Usually, the music used was a 5-note synthesized fanfare, complete with a timpani drum roll playing throughout with a final, rather loud pound at the end. Even after the logo faded (or cut) to black, the timpani's echo could still be heard.
• The very first version of this logo featured the "Pinball" music from the first logo and was used eventually until late 1978 (and was also often used when replacing the original "Pinball" logo, possibly a bad plastering error). This variant is also known as the "V of Pinball".
• The very first version of the normal 1976 music had a slightly faster tempo/low-pitched version of the usual music, used on the same logo with the very dark blue/black "V" logo, and it was also used in tandem with the standard filmed variant.
• For the network TV variant, it used only the closing theme of the show or TV movie, or none.

3rd logo [ ]

The opening and closing themes of the syndie promo or none.

4th logo [ ]

After the drum roll at the start, a majestic 13-note fanfare plays, with the last note held out.

5th logo [ ]

The closing theme of the show/TV movie or none.

6th logo [ ]

The closing theme of the show. Promotional reels featured a voice over (pronouncing the name as "Vee-a-Com".)

7th logo [ ]

Pindrop-like synth notes, followed by a descending synth chord. The music shares a similar musical key as the "V of Doom".

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants [ ]

• The music had a couple of variations over the years. A couple of "warp-speed" versions, one of which is an ultra warp speed version featuring a higher-pitched jingle, can be seen on various programs, if they haven't been plastered.
• In some cases, it used only the closing theme of the show or none.
• Some episodes of Cannon and Perry Mason on Me-TV (before that channel received updated CBSTD prints of the aforementioned episodes of both, though the aforementioned Perry Mason prints have since resurfaced on FETV) have/had the "V of Doom" music playing over this.
• Some episodes of Gunsmoke , Matlock (seasons 1-4), and one episode of Hogan's Heroes (seen in Australia) have the "Wigga-Wigga" music playing over this. A Russian print of Father Dowling Mysteries S1 EP3 also features this over the warp-speed variant, which continues into the CBS Television Distribution logo.
• A very rare variant of the extended warp-speed (3 wipes) variant includes a voice-over. This was seen on a sales tape for the un-aired game show I Predict . As the logo animates, the voice-over is heard saying: "A Ron Greenberg Production, in association with Viacom." (Pronounced "Vee-a-com", similar to Sandy Hoyt on Split Second ).
• A high tone variant exists, which is most likely from a PAL source.
• On an '80s print of the movie Running , the normal variant features two very faint copies of the theme playing and overlapping each other that are both off-sync with the animation, making them continue long after the logo fades to black.

8th logo [ ]

Again, there have been several musical variations accompanied with a voice-over by Don LaFontaine saying "Viacom" near the end:

• Usually, a synthesized rock score is used, complete with drums, a synthesizer and even a guitar. Telephone-like "wigga-wigga" sounds are heard as the line zig-zags.
• For the newly-formed Viacom International, the same logo is accompanied by different music. A synthesized whoosh is heard first, leading into a jingle played on a flute being heard as the line uncurls. As the logo finishes, a faint choir is heard in the background. Synthesized "shining" sounds can be heard throughout the entire logo. The LaFontaine voice-over is still heard.
• There is a version where the LaFontaine voice-over cuts in earlier.
• Some versions have no LaFontaine voice-over. The Viacom Productions logo is one of these, except the variant used on Diagnosis: Murder . An extremely short version with no LaFontaine voice-over was seen for a brief time in 1996. This version would also have the Paramount Domestic Television logo play almost immediately afterwards.
• There was a warped version during later years.
• There is a low toned variant for the short version that appeared after an episode of The Twilight Zone .
• A high pitched variant exists. It's usually seen on PAL prints of Viacom-distributed shows and movies with this logo.

9th logo [ ]

A descending crystallized wind chime-like sound effect culminating in a synth explosion, followed by a robotic voice saying the word "Viacom". The robotic voice was shortened in 2002.

10th logo [ ]

The closing theme of the program or none.

11th logo [ ]

2 drum hits and a loud chord (possibly the end theme of a sizzle reel)

12th logo [ ]

The ending theme of the show.

Scare Factor [ ]

Depending on the variant:

• Original variant: Low to medium, bordering on high. Some may be startled by its choppy animation, fast pace, "zoom-out", and the somewhat weird music, especially on distorted prints.
• Silent variant: Low.
• In-credit variants: None.
• Videotaped variant: None to medium, thanks to the smoothened motion of the moniker and V. The logo itself may be higher in quality, lowering the scare factor. However, the fanfare may still spook some.
• Warp speed variant: None to high. May not be scary for those who are used it, but for the other viewers it might seem as the V is charging towards you at full speed.
• Filmed variant: None to nightmare. The sudden stop of the moniker may scare some. The amount of scratches and how much the logo's music is warped may vary from different reels that you watch. On the flip side, it's an iconic logo that is embraced all round the logo community.

Minimal to low. It may surprise some people who are expecting the "V of Doom.” If Viacom made any feature movies at the time, this was definitely the logo to go with. And it is a great logo and is a favorite of many.

Minimal to low. This is a beautiful logo, and a refreshing logo, and a favorite of many.

None. This is either a calm or boring logo, depending on what you think.

None. It's a precursor to the "V of Steel" logo.

• Original/Extended/B&W/Distribution: Low. The descending sound, sounding like the THX "Deep Note", and the big "V of Doom" styled "V" might have scared a few here and there, but it's harmless.
• Warp speed variants: Low to medium. The fast pace may surprise some first-time viewers.
• With the "V of Doom" theme: Low.
• With the "Wigga Wigga" theme: Low.
• Silent variant / with the closing theme: Minimal to low.

Nonetheless, like the "V of Doom", "V of Rainbow", and 4th logos, this is a very good logo, and it is a favorite of a lot of people.

Depends on the variant:

• Domestic variant: Minimal to low. Some might be caught off-guard by the dramatic FX and fast pace.
• International variant: None. This is a beautiful logo.
• With the "Pinball" theme (?): Low to medium, since it may surprise anyone who wasn't expecting it.
• With the "V of Doom" theme: Minimal to low.
• "Ghost of the V of Doom" variant: Minimal to low.
• "Ghost of the V of Steel" variant: Minimal to low. The theme may startle a few that were not expecting it. But like the above variant, most wouldn't notice it anyway.
• With the "V of Steel" theme: Minimal to low.
• With the warp-speed "V of Steel" theme: Low, especially if you weren't expecting it.
• With the "Wigga Wigga II" theme: Low.
• With the closing theme: Minimal to low.

Apart from these, this is still fairly tame, and one of the greatest logos from Viacom, joining the 4th logo, the "V of Doom", the "V of Rainbow", and the "V of Steel". It is also a favorite of many.

• Original variant: Minimal to low. The robotic voice may get to some.
• With the "Wigga Wigga" music: Low.

It's not a well-known logo like the previous ones, but it's another well-made logo with some really cool effects. This was also a fitting way to end a company with an amazing and memorable library of logos before being merged with CBS in the future, giving out more logos.

None, though it may surprise those expecting to see the Spike Originals logo. In any case, it looks pretty cool for a modern-day simplistic logo.

Low to medium, because of the loud chord, but it is rather a disappointment than scary.

Logo Timeline Wiki

May 1, 2023: Copying from other wikis like Logopedia without saying so is still going on. This means this wiki is still at risk for being shut down. We cannot use the Attrib template as an excuse to keep copying from them.

• CBS Corporation
• International

Viacom International

• View history

In 1971-1975, it was called "Viacom International Presentations", in 1975-1990, it was called "Viacom International" and in 1990-2005, it was called "Viacom International Productions".

• 1 1971-1975
• 2.1 1975-1976
• 2.2.1 1979-1981
• 2.2.3 1981-1985
• 2.3 1985-1990
• 3.1 1990-2003
• 3.2.1 1998-2003
• 3.2.2 1999-2009

1971-1975 [ ]

1975-1990 [ ]

1975-1976 [ ].

1976-1979 [ ]

1979-1981 [ ]

1981-1985 [ ]

This is taken from Honeymooners Reunion (1985).

1985-1990 [ ]

1990-2009 [ ]

This logo is separate.

1990-2003 [ ]

1998-2009 [ ]

1998-2003 [ ].

1999-2009 [ ]

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Viacom inc..

One of the largest media companies in the world, Viacom Inc. operates numerous subsidiaries in six segments: cable networks; television; radio; outdoor; entertainment; and video. Well known to cable viewers are MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Night, VH1, and Showtime. Television holdings include the CBS and UPN television networks, King World Productions, and Paramount Television. Infinity Radio owns and operates a wealth of radio stations. The entertainment segment includes: Paramount Pictures, a producer and distributor of motion pictures since 1912; venerable publisher Simon & Schuster; and Paramount Parks' theme attractions. Viacom Outdoor is engaged in display advertising. Blockbuster Inc. operates and franchises video stores around the globe.

1970s Formation

Viacom was formed by the Central Broadcasting System (CBS) in the summer of 1970 to comply with regulations by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) barring television networks from owning cable TV systems or from syndicating their own programs in the United States. It formally became a separate company in 1971 when CBS distributed Viacom's stock to its stockholders at the rate of one share for every seven shares of CBS stock.

Viacom began with 70,000 stockholders and yearly sales of $19.8 million. It had about 90,000 cable subscribers, making it one of the largest cable operators in the United States. It also had an enviable stable of popular, previously-run CBS television series, including I Love Lucy, available for syndication, which accounted for a sizable percentage of Viacom's income.

By 1973 there were about 2,800 cable systems in the United States, with about 7.5 million subscribers. This market fragmentation, along with the lack of an infrastructure in many communities and tough federal regulations, slowed the development of cable television. In 1973, Viacom had 47,000 subscribers on Long Island, New York, but a drive to find 2,000 more added only 250.

In 1976, to compete with Home Box Office (HBO), the leading outlet for films in cable, Viacom established the Showtime movie network, which sought to provide its audience with feature films recently released in theaters. Viacom retained half interest in the network while Warner Amex owned the other half. Despite a federal ruling that removed many restrictions on the choice of movies and sports available on pay-TV during this time and allowed a wider variety of programming, Showtime lost $825,000 in 1977. Nevertheless, Viacom earned $5.5 million that year on sales of $58.5 million. Most of the company's earnings represented sales of television series, but it also reflected the growth of its own cable systems, which at this time had about 350,000 subscribers.

Showtime continued to compete aggressively with HBO. In 1977 it began transmitting its programming to local cable stations via satellite, at a cost of $1.2 million a year. The following year it worked out a deal with Teleprompter Corp., then the largest cable systems operator in the United States, with the result that Teleprompter offered its customers Showtime rather than HBO. Showtime also began offering a service channel called Front Row. Dedicated to family programming, including classic movies and children's shows, Front Row cost consumers less than $5 a month and was aimed at smaller cable systems where subscribers could not afford a full-time pay-TV service.

Viacom's forays into the production of original programming in the late 1970s and early 1980s had mixed results. Competition was stiff, the odds of producing a successful television series or film were long, and Viacom experienced several failures. The Lazarus Syndrome and Dear Detective series were failures, and CBS canceled Nurse after 14 episodes.

Growth Through Acquisition in the 1980s

Cable systems were a capital-intensive business, and Viacom constantly invested money in building its cable infrastructure--spending $65 million in 1981 alone, for example. In the early 1980s Viacom started on a program of rapid growth across a range of media categories. Company President Terrence A. Elkes told Business Week that Viacom hoped to become a billion-dollar company in three to five years. Because management felt that cable operations were not a strong enough engine for that growth, Viacom looked to communications and entertainment. In 1981 it bought Chicago radio station WLAK-FM for $8 million and disclosed its minority stake in Cable Health Network, a new advertiser-supported cable service. It also bought Video Corp. of America for $16 million. That firm's video production equipment stood to save Viacom a great deal of money on production costs.

While its increased size would give Viacom clout with advertisers and advertising agencies, some industry analysts believed that the acquisitions were partly intended to discourage takeover attempts. Buying radio and TV stations increased the firm's debt, and added broadcast licenses to Viacom's portfolio. The transfer of such licenses was a laborious process overseen by the FCC, thereby slowing down attempts to act quickly in taking over a company.

By 1982 Showtime had 3.4 million subscribers, earning about $10 million on sales of $140 million, and was seeking to distinguish itself from other pay-TV sources by offering its own series of programs. While Viacom had sales of about $210 million, syndication still accounted for a large percentage of Viacom's profits, 45 percent in 1982. The growth rate of syndication had declined, however, while that for cable had increased, and by 1982 Viacom had added 450,000 subscribers to the 90,000 it inherited from CBS, making it the ninth largest cable operator in the United States.

However, a decline in pay-TV's popularity began in 1984, and growth in the industry was virtually halted. In early 1984, Showtime became a sister station to Warner Amex's The Movie Channel in a move calculated to increase sales for both of them. HBO and its sister channel Cinemax were being offered on 5,000 of the 5,800 cable systems in the United States, while Showtime or The Movie Channel were available on 2,700. Besides having a far larger share of the market, HBO already featured many of the films shown by Showtime and The Movie Channel, removing some of the incentive for subscribing to both groups of services. That year Viacom earned $30.9 million on revenue of $320 million.

In September 1985, Viacom purchased the MTV Networks and the other half interest in Showtime from Warner Communications, a company that needed cash because its cable interests were suffering in the unfavorable market. As part of the deal Viacom paid Warner $500 million in cash and $18 million in stock warrants. Viacom also offered $33.50 a share for the one-third of MTV stock that was publicly held. The year before Viacom bought it, MTV had made $11.9 million on sales of $109.5 million. Again, these purchases increased Viacom's debt load, making it less attractive for a takeover.

The MTV Networks included MTV, a popular music video channel; Nickelodeon, a channel geared towards children; and VH-1, a music video channel geared toward an older audience than that of MTV. The most valuable property in the MTV Network was MTV itself. Its quick pace and flashy graphics were becoming highly influential in the media, and its young audience was a chief target of advertisers.

Established by Warner Amex in 1979 in response to a need for children's cable programming, Nickelodeon had not achieved any notable success until acquired by Viacom. Viacom quickly revamped Nickelodeon, giving it the slick, flashy look of MTV and unique programming that both appealed to children and distinguished the network from such competitors as The Disney Channel. Viacom also introduced "Nick at Night," a block of classic sitcoms aired late in the evening, popular among an adult audience. In the next few years Nickelodeon went from being the least popular channel on basic cable to the most popular.

However, Showtime lost about 300,000 customers between March 1985 and March 1986, and cash flow dropped dramatically. In 1986 Showtime embarked on an expensive and risky attempt to gain market share. While Showtime and arch-rival HBO had each featured exclusive presentations of some films, many films were shown on both networks. In order to eliminate this duplication, Showtime gained exclusive rights to several popular films and guaranteed its customers a new film, unavailable on other movie channels, every week. However, Showtime's move increased the price of acquiring even limited rights to a film at a time when many industry observers felt that the price of buying films for pay-TV should be decreasing since the popularity of video cassette recorders had lowered their worth. Consequently, the cost of programming was raised, and Showtime was forced to increase marketing expenditures to make certain potential viewers were aware of the new policy.

Weakened by the $2 billion debt load it incurred, in part, to scare off unfriendly buyers, Viacom lost $9.9 million on sales of $919.2 million in 1986 and, ironically, became a takeover target. First Carl Icahn made an attempt to buy the company, and then a management buyout led by Terrence Elkes failed. Finally, after a six-month battle, Sumner M. Redstone, president of the National Amusements Inc. movie theater chain, bought Viacom for about $3.4 billion in March 1986. Some industry analysts felt that he had vastly overpaid, but Redstone believed Viacom had strong growth potential. Aside from its cable properties and syndication rights that now included the popular series The Cosby Show, Viacom owned five television and eight radio stations in major markets.

Redstone had already built National Amusements, the family business, from 50 drive-in movie theaters to a modern chain with 350 screens. Now faced with the task of turning Showtime around, he brought in Frank Biondi, former chief executive of HBO, who began organizing the company's many units into a cooperative workforce. Biondi in turn brought in HBO executive Winston Cox to run the network, and Cox immediately doubled Showtime's marketing budget. Showtime also obtained exclusive contracts with Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney films, which included the rights to air seven of the top ten films of 1986.

Turning Viacom Around in the Late 1980s

Redstone's banks were demanding $450 million in interest in the first two years following the takeover, but several fortuitous events aided him in paying off this debt. Shortly after the buyout Viacom began to earn millions from television stations wanting to show reruns of The Cosby Show. Furthermore, when Congress deregulated cable in 1987, prices for cable franchises soared. When Redstone sold some of Viacom's assets to help pay off its debt, he was thus able to get large sums for them. In February 1989 Viacom's Long Island and suburban Cleveland cable systems were sold to Cablevision Systems Corp. for $545 million, or about 20 times their annual cash flow. Cablevision also bought a 5 percent stake in Showtime for $25 million, giving it a tangible interest in the channel's success. Further, after Redstone restructured MTV and installed a more aggressive advertising-sales staff, MTV experienced continued growth, against the expectations of many industry analysts. In 1989, for example, the MTV Networks won 15 percent of all dollars spent on cable advertising. MTV was expanding throughout the world, broadcasting to Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and large portions of Latin America, with plans to further expand into Eastern Europe, Poland, Brazil, Israel, and New Zealand.

These successes enabled Redstone and Biondi to significantly cut Viacom's debt by September 1989 and negotiate more favorable terms on its loans. Even so, it was rough going at first, and Viacom lost $154.4 million in 1987, though its sales increased to about $1 billion.

Under its new leadership Viacom branched out. Along with Hearst Corp. and Capital Cities/ABC Inc. it introduced Lifetime, a channel geared towards women. It also started its own production operations in 1989, Viacom Pictures, which produced about ten feature films in 1989 at a cost of about $4 million a film. These films first appeared on Showtime. Viacom's television productions also achieved success after years of mixed results. Viacom produced the hit series Matlock for NBC and Jake and the Fatman for CBS. It also added the rights for A Different World and Roseanne to its rerun stable. In addition, Viacom continued to spend heavily on new and acquired productions for Nickelodeon and MTV.

In October 1989, Viacom sold 50 percent of Showtime to TCI, a cable systems operator, for $225 million. TCI had six million subscribers, and Viacom hoped the purchase would give TCI increased incentive to market Showtime, thus giving the network a wider distribution.

By 1989 Viacom owned five television stations, 14 cable franchises, and nine radio stations. In November of that year the company bought five more radio stations for $121 million. Sales for the year were about $1.4 billion, with profits of $369 million. In 1990, Viacom introduced a plan that halved the cost of Showtime, but forced cable operators to dramatically increase the number of subscriptions to it. This strategy was designed to increase Showtime's market share at a time when many consumers were starting to feel that pay-TV channels were no longer worth their price.

Several months after HBO introduced its Comedy Channel in 1989, Viacom began transmitting HA!, a channel similar in format. Both channels provided comedy programs, but HA! primarily showed episodes of old sitcoms, while the Comedy Channel showed excerpts from sitcoms, movies, and stand-up comedy routines. Both channels started with subscriber bases in the low millions, and most industry analysts believed that only one of them would survive; Viacom management expected to lose as much as $100 million over a three-year period before HA! broke even. The two companies considered merging their comedy offerings, but HBO parent Time Warner would only move forward with the idea if Viacom agreed to settle its $2.4 billion antitrust suit against HBO.

Showtime had filed the lawsuit in 1989, alleging that HBO was trying to put Showtime out of business by intimidating cable systems that carried Showtime and by trying to corner the market on Hollywood films to prevent competitors from airing them. The suit attracted wide attention and generated much negative publicity for the cable industry.

In August 1992 the suit was finally settled out of court, after having cost both sides tens of millions of dollars in legal fees. Time Warner agreed to pay Viacom $75 million and buy a Viacom cable system in Milwaukee for $95 million, about $10 million more than its estimated worth at the time. Time Warner also agreed to more widely distribute Showtime and The Movie Channel on Time Warner's cable systems, the second largest in the United States. Furthermore, the two sides also agreed to a joint marketing campaign to revive the image of cable, which had suffered since deregulation. Also during this time, in a move that surprised many industry analysts, HBO and Viacom agreed to merge their struggling comedy networks, HA! and the Comedy Channel, into one network, Comedy Central, which ultimately experienced great success.

Overall, Viacom appeared to be thriving. In 1993 the company's net income reached $66 million, earned on revenues of $1.9 billion. Nickelodeon, meanwhile, was going to 57.4 million homes, and was watched by more children between ages two and 11 than the children's programming on all four major networks combined. While Nickelodeon's earnings were not reported separately, the Wall Street Journal estimated its profits as $76 million in 1992 on sales of $190 million. However, by the mid-1990s, Redstone was ready for a new challenge. The 70-year-old media mogul found it by expanding Viacom into the motion picture and video rental markets.

In July 1994 Viacom purchased Paramount Communications Inc., one of the world's largest and oldest producers of motion pictures and television shows. The deal, which cost approximately $8 billion, elevated Viacom to the fifth largest media company in the world. The acquisition vastly expanded the company's presence in the entertainment business, giving it a motion picture library that included the classics The Ten Commandments and The Godfather and an entre into the premier movie market. Moreover, in the Paramount deal Viacom gained ownership of Simon & Schuster, Inc., one of the world's largest book publishers.

Later that same year, the company again expanded into a new segment of the entertainment industry by acquiring Blockbuster, the owner, operator, and franchiser of thousands of video and music stores. The Blockbuster group of subsidiaries was one of Viacom's most quickly growing enterprises; by 1997, Blockbuster boasted 60 million cardholders worldwide and over 6,000 music and video stores.

Viacom's acquisition of Paramount and Blockbuster gave the company thriving new enterprises, but left the company in significant debt. To both relieve that debt and focus the company's energies, Viacom divested itself of several segments of its business. In 1995 the company sold the operations of Madison Square Garden to a partnership of ITT Corp. and Cablevision Systems Corp. for $1.07 billion. In 1996, the company spun off its cable systems in a deal with TCI. Although the split-off represented a break with Viacom's origins as a cable provider, the deal relieved the company of $1.7 billion in debt. The following year, Viacom left the radio broadcasting business by selling its ten radio stations to Evergreen Media Corporation. The approximately $1.1 billion deal reduced Viacom's debt even further.

Although Viacom was no longer a cable service provider, and it had expanded into the motion picture and video rental market, its cable networks remained a significant portion of its business. MTV Networks, which included MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1, accounted for almost $625 million in operating profits in 1997, approximately 32 percent of Viacom's estimated earnings for the year.

By June 1998, Viacom had more than recovered from the hit it had taken from the Blockbuster purchase. Stock equaled its 1995 high, a joint production of the movie Titanic had seen spectacular box office receipts, and the sell-off of most of Simon & Schuster book publishing operations brought in $4.6 billion. A new strategy for Blockbuster drove up its sagging market share. Furthermore, Viacom had been on a global expansion drive, selling broadcast rights to Paramount's film library, for example. MTV was becoming an international brand as well.

Creating Synergy: 1999-2004

In 1999, Redstone held about $9 billion worth of Viacom shares. The company's stock had outshined rivals Time Warner, Disney, and News Corp. That year, Viacom announced plans to buy out CBS Corporation for $37 billion in stock. The heydays of network television were in the past. CBS's cash flow for the year would come from cable, radio, stations, and billboards. Cable ranked first among profitable segments of the entertainment business during the decade, with radio close behind.

CBS had made an early stab into cable in 1981, but the effort tanked. The "Tiffany Network" steered away from the medium after that while its direct competitors, ABC, NBC, and Fox, made inroads. The tide turned thanks to CEO Mel Karmazin and his predecessor Michael Jordan. "Not until 1997 did Jordan and Karmazin lead CBS back into cable by buying two music channels, the Nashville Network and County Music Television, for $1.5 billion," Marc Gunther wrote for Fortune .

Redstone had his eye on those channels and proposed an exchange of Viacom television stations for the country channels. But Karmazin convinced Redstone of the synergistic benefits of merging the two media giants and the deal was completed in May 2000. Redstone relinquished "effective operating control" of the merged company to Karmazin, according to the Wall Street Journal in 2003. Wall Street applauded the move, respectful of Karmazin's record in financial management and operational details as head of CBS.

But a few years down the road, it became less and less likely that Karmazin would succeed Redstone. Not only did the pair have an uneasy relationship, but Karmazin failed to meet earnings targets from 2001 to 2003. Moreover, Redstone wanted back some of the power he had relinquished.

Despite the three-year deal they arrived at in 2003, in June 2004 Karmazin resigned.

Redstone named MTV's Tom Freston and CBS's Leslie Moonves co-presidents, setting up a competition between them for his heir apparent.

Television, radio, and outdoor segments reported to Moonves and cable networks, entertainment, and video, to Freston. Television had produced 29 percent of Viacom's 2003 consolidated revenues; followed by video, 22 percent; cable networks, 21 percent; entertainment, 15 percent; radio, 8 percent; and outdoor, 5 percent.

Significantly, Redstone was prepared to finally step down as CEO, something he said he would do within the next three years. Gunther wrote for Fortune , "Until now the 81-year-old Redstone had stubbornly refused to set a date for his retirement. No one can force him out, because he controls 71% of the shareholder votes at $27 billion-a-year Viacom."

Principal Subsidiaries: Blockbuster Videos, Inc.; Paramount Pictures; Paramount Home Entertainment; Simon & Schuster; MTV Networks; Showtime Networks Inc.; VH1 Inc.; BET; The CBS Television Network; United Paramount Network; Infinity Broadcasting; Paramount Television; Paramount Parks.

Principal Competitors: News Corp.; Time Warner; Walt Disney.

Source: International Directory of Company Histories , Vol.67. St. James Press, 2005.

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1st Logo (1971-1976)

Nicknames : "Pinball Music", "A Viacom Presentation", "V-IA-COM"

Logo : This logo had the syllables in the word "Viacom" coming in, syllable-by-syllable, from the right, with the background changing color. As the screen fades to purple, the V slides in. Then the IA slides in, changing the background to green. Then the COM slides in, changing the background to red. When the word "VIACOM" is formed, the camera pans outward and the words "A" and "PRESENTATION" are seen to the left and right of the word "Viacom", over a blue background. The logo had a font similar to the one on the "Mary Tyler Moore" logo (called "Peignot") with white lettering.

Quality Control : One version of the logo replaces the red background with black. Could possibly be because of film quality, however. Other sources would have this logo completely out of sync with the sound effects.

Cheesy Factor/FX : Animation was very rough, primitive keyboard music, the changing backgrounds.

Music : Consists of four synthesized ascending pinball-like chimes, also kind of sounds like the sound effects you hear on some news programs. The first three bring up the syllables to "Viacom," and the last, which plays over the zoom-out, has a zap-like "WHOOSH" that blends in with the last bell.

Availability : Pretty much gone, the shows have had other syndicators or have been updated with the 2nd or other logos. However, it has turned up on at least 5-10 color episodes of "My Three Sons" on The Hallmark Channel. Supposedly these include episodes last seen on Nick at Nite around 1988-90.

Scare Factor : Median, it has scared some by its cheesy animation, fast pace, "zoom out", and primitive music. But compared to the 2nd logo, it's nothing.

2nd Logo (1976-1986)

Nicknames : "Creepy V of Death", "The Purple V (Of Doom), "V of Doom," "Killer V," etc.

Logo : On a sky blue background, the words " A Viacom Presentation " zooms in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace. Then, a fancy-cut, purp le "V" comes from the center and moves gradually closer and closer to the screen, with the "V" ending up taking nearly the entire screen.

• A network television version usually had the V and the name "Viacom" zooming in together, more on this later.
• There are videotaped and filmed versions of this logo. The latter usually appears on black and white programs, and has a film-like appearance to it
• There is an uncommon variation that has a much sped up logo and music.

Note: There actually IS a variation of the logo with the pinball music from the first logo. It was recently sighted on a Megamix tape.

FX/Cheesy Factor : Off the charts, the logo looks like it's a purple piece of cardboard being zoomed up, and that music, was the composer in a hurry and in a bad mood that day?

Music : Had a 5-note synthesized tune with a timpani drum cresending throughout. Even after the logo faded to black, the timpani's echo can still be heard.

Availability : Most shows that had this ID usually have been updated with the current Paramount ID. It might be seen on local stations that show older Viacom shows like The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC. Also, the filmed version of the logo is on the 1970-71 season finale of "My Three Sons" on Hallmark. Is also seen at the end of most Cannon episodes shown on TV Land Canada.

Scare Factor : Nightmare, the music and "V" jarring on the screen had been a source of bad dreams and nightmares for many. The audio quality is also poor. One of the scariest logos ever created.

3rd Logo (1986-1990)

Nicknames : "Giant Silver V", "Silver V", "Rotating Silver V", "V of Steel"

Logo : We start out with a screen, divided half purple on top and half silver on the bottom. The silver part then rotates counter-clockwise (ala CBS-FOX) and a fancy-cut V (same design as V of Doom in 2nd logo) appears. The word "Viacom" is seen under the V and the V shines.

FX : The rotating V, the V "shining".

Music : Had pin drops with a sound similar to the opening sound on the THX sound system ID.

Availability : Appears on Father Dowling Mysteries on PAX, but at warp speed. Also shows up on '80s prints of other shows such as "Beverly Hillbillies" and "We Love Lucy" on local TV.

Scare Factor : Minimal, The "THX-like" sound might have scared a few here and there, but it's mainly harmless.

4th Logo (1990-1999)

Nicknames : "Wigga-Wigga" , "\/|/\CO/\/\"

Logo : On a shaded blue background, a silver "V" flies from the bottom left and then backwards. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the name, with the "A" and "M" still taking the form of zig-zags. The completed logo shines, as a voiceover says the company name "Viacom." 

• Many think the announcer is mispronouncing the word Viacom. It is indeed long "i" , like in "enterpr i ses"
• Two alternate versions of the logo include a shorter version where the announcer cuts in earlier, and one with different music that sounds like it is played on a flute. The flute music was heard on syndicated prints of The Cosby Show
• There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the "Viacom" text already formed, but "PRODUCTIONS" zooms in from the right.

FX : The coiled line turning in to "\/|/\CO/\/\"

Cheesy Factor : The other letters in the logo seem to fall out of the zig-zags rather than the zig-zags just turning into them.

Music : In most cases, had new age-type synthesized music. Had telephone-like sounds when the curled-up line uncurled. Otherwise it would have the flute tune as described above.

Availability : Can still be seen on the many shows syndicated by Viacom, but mainly on old cable prints. This logo is being phased out with the current Paramount ID or the current ID.

Scare Factor : Minimal, some might be caught off-guard by dramatics.

5th Logo (1999-2004)

Note: By 1999, Viacom was a production company only, relinquishing its distribution duties to Paramount Television. That year, they recieved a new logo to reflect the company's new status. Alas, this logo was to be Viacom's last; the production unit was absorbed into Paramount Television as well in 2004. Though, the Viacom name will continue to live on as the owner of Paramount and CBS, but nothing more.

Nickname : "VIACOM 2000"

Logo : This one has the letters in front of each other spreading out into place. The background is full of those "wavy-line" letters. The company is referred to as "Viacom Productions, A Paramount Company" with the Paramount byline in its majestic cursive logo font.

FX : Letters spreading out

Cheesy Factor: This might be a gripe, but why is Viacom "A Paramount Company" when most Paramount logos are listed as being "A Viacom Company"?

Music : A windchime-like sound effect mixed with an explosion, then a high, robotic voice says "Viacom"

Availability : Can be seen on any show produced by Viacom from 1999-2004, "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" is one.

Scare Factor : Low.

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Viacom International

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Viacom began as CBS Television Film Sales in 1952, was renamed as CBS Films in 1958 and renamed again as CBS Enterprises Inc. in 1968. It would later be renamed as Viacom in 1970 and spun off the following year. This logo uses the Peignot font (the same font used on The Mary Tyler Moore Show , which was ironically syndicated by them at the time) and is nicknamed the "Pinball" logo because of its electronically-produced logo sounder being described by many as being akin to the sounds of a pinball machine.

It started out as the unofficially named "V of Doom," a "V" symbol that zoomed in, until 1986, when it was changed to the V of Steel until 1990.

On January 1, 1990, for the first time in 13 years, the stylized "V" symbol was retired in favor of a new logo. The logo was nicknamed the "Wigga Wigga" logo. The logo was designed by design firm Chermayeff & Geismar , of which has also designed for NBC , PBS , Showtime , Univision , WGBH , & Screen Gems , among others. It was used for the Paramount Pictures logo's byline until 2010, even after the logo for the new Viacom was introduced.

On December 31, 2005, Viacom split into two companies: the second Viacom and CBS Corporation . The original Viacom was folded into CBS Paramount Television (now CBS Studios ), but its logo can still be seen during reruns of classic shows. CBS now owns any and all copyrights and distribution rights to any programming from Viacom Productions via CBS Studios Productions, LLC, a holding company between CBS Media Ventures and Paramount Television Studios . The original Viacom went defunct on December 31, 2005.

Defunct assets: 10 All Access | CBS Justice | 5FWD | 5Spike | Shake! | NGA | Ten SD2 | One SD | Ten Guide | 10 Daily | Club MTV | MTV OMG | MTV Rocks | MTV Music | VH1 | BET | Spike | Spree TV | 10 Travlr 5 | Smithsonian Channel | MTV Classic | RealityXtra 2 | Nick Toonsters | Nick Jr. Classics | Zone Reality Extra

1 Under license from Direct Group. 2 Joint venture with Sky Group . 3 Joint venture with AMC Networks International . 4 Managed by Paramount Streaming . 5 Joint venture with Travlr

Digital assets: Paramount Streaming : 10 Play | BET+ | CBS Sports HQ | CBS Sports Golazo Network | CBS News 24/7 | Mixible | My5 | Paramount+ | Pluto TV ( Nordics 24 ) | SkyShowtime 23

Internet properties: 247Sports | AwesomenessTV | CBSSports.com | Last.fm | MaxPreps | MTV.com | MySimon | Nick.com | NickJr.com | Scout.com | SportsLine

Other assets: Ananey Communications | CBS Audio | CBS News | CBS News Radio | CBS Records | CBS Sports | CBS Sports Radio | CBS Sporting Club | Comedy Central Records | Milkshake! | Nickelodeon Records | Nickelodeon Games | Nickelodeon Slime | Paramount Audio | Paramount Consumer Products | Paramount Digital Entertainment | Paramount Game Studios | Paramount Global Content Distribution | Paramount Music | Paramount Veterans Network | Paws, Inc. | Porta dos Fundos (51%) | South Park Digital Studios | Velocity | Viacom18 2 | ViacomCBS Digital Studios | ViacomCBS EyeQ | Paramount Vantage (platform) | VidCon

Defunct/former: ABC Films | Addicting Games | All News Channel 17 | Artcraft Pictures | Bellator MMA | BET Home Entertainment | BET Event Productions | BNET | Blockbuster Entertainment | The Box (United States) | BradyGames | CBBC on Nickelodeon 13 | CBS All Access | CBS Broadcast International | CBS Enterprises | CBS Eye on People | CBS Films | CBS/Fox Video 5 | CBS/Fox Children's Video 5 | CBS Outdoor | CBS Paramount Network Television | CBS Paramount Television | CBS Productions | CBS Radio | CBS Records International | CBS Telenoticias | CBS Theatrical Films | CBS Video | CIC Video 1 | CMT Films | CNET | Camelot Entertainment Sales | Cheddar U | Chowhound | Cinema Center Films | Cinema International Corporation | Clicker | Columbia Records | Comedy Central Games | Comedy Central Films | Comedy Central Productions | Comedy Central (Asia) | Comedy Central Extra ( Balkans | Netherlands ) | Comedy Central Family ( Netherlands | Poland ) | The Comedy Channel Originals | Comic Vine | Commonwealth United Entertainment | Defy Media | Desilu Productions | DreamWorks Television | DreamWorks Pictures | Eyemark Entertainment | Famous Players | Famous Studios | Fox Hills Video | Fox-Paramount Home Entertainment 5 | GameFAQs | Game One Music HD | GameRankings | GameSpot | GameTrailers | Giant Bomb | GlobalCaptions.com | Group W Network Services | Group W Productions | Ha! TV Comedy Network Originals | Heron Communications | Heron Home Entertainment | Hi-Tops Video | Home Theater Network | The Indie-Verse | Insurge Pictures | InterStar Releasing 19 | Key Video 5 | Kindernet | King World Productions ( King World Direct ) | Laurel Entertainment | Liberty Films | MGM/CBS Home Video 20 | Mirage Studios | Mon Nickelodeon Junior | MSG | MTV ( Adria | Austria | Brasil 15 | China | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia | Finland | Greece | Hungary | Israel | Latvia | Lithuania & Latvia | Middle East | New Zealand | Nordic | Norway | Pakistan (owned by third-party company; licensed by Paramount) | Philippines | Romania | Russia | Sweden | Thailand | Turkey | Vietnam | Ukraine ) | MTV+ | MTV2 Pop | MTV8 | MTVX | MTV Animation | MTV Base (France) | MTV Brand New ( Benelux | Germany | Italy ) | MTV Chi | MTV Classic ( Italy | Australia and New Zealand | Poland ) | MTV Desi | MTV Entertainment (TV channel) | MTV Extra | MTV Films | MTV Films Europe | MTV Flux | MTV Games | MTV Hits ( Italy | Japan | Latin America ) | MTV Idol | MTV K | MTV Live ( Australia | France (HD) | UK & Ireland ) | MTV Mandarin | MTV Mix | MTV Music ( Australia & New Zealand | Germany | Ireland | Poland ) | MTV Music 24 | MTV Next | MTV News | MTV OMG | MTV Original TV Movies | MTVph 18 | MTV Pinoy 16 | MTV Pulse ( France | Italy ) | MTV Shows | MTV Teen | SBS MTV 8 | My MTV | MyMTV Music | Madison Square Garden | Mascot Pictures | Media Home Entertainment | Metacritic | MetroLyrics | Miramax/Dimension Films | Miramax Books | Miramax International | Miramax Home Entertainment | Miramax/Dimension Home Entertainment | Miramax Family Films | MountainWest Sports Network | The N Originals | NBC Films | NTA Home Entertainment | N-Toons | National Telefilm Associates | Nickelodeon ( Estonia | New Zealand | Russia/CIS | Ukraine | South Korea 8 ) | Nickelodeon Studios | Nickelodeon Video 2 | Nick 2 ( HD ) | Nick at Nite ( UK and Ireland | Latin America ) | Nick at Nite Originals | Nick DVD ( Nick Jr. DVD ) | Nick Games | Nick Games and Sports For Kids | Nick Hits | Nick Jr. (Russia & CIS) | Nick Jr. Games | Nick Jr. Productions | NickMom | NickNight | Nick Nach Acht | Nick Radio | NickRewind ( NickSplat on VRV ) | NickSports | Nicktoons ( Latin America | Russia & CIS ) | Nicktoons Originals | Noggin | Noggin Original | The Nostalgia Merchant | One World Entertainment | onGamers | Paramount Cartoon Studios | Paramount Comedy (Russia) | Paramount Comics 14 | Paramount Domestic Television | Paramount DVD | Paramount Famous Productions | Paramount Channel/Paramount Network ( Asia | Denmark | Finland | Italy | Russia & CIS | Sweden | Ukraine 10 ) | Paramount Network Originals | Paramount Network Television | Paramount News | Paramount Parks | Paramount Records | Paramount Stations Group | Paramount Television Network | Paramount Television Service | Paramount Toys 14 | Paramount Vantage | Peanuts Home Video | Playhouse Video 5 | Prentice Hall | Prima Comedy Central | Prism Pictures | QM Productions | RTL CBS Entertainment ( RTL CBS Entertainment HD ) 21 | RTL CBS Extreme ( RTL CBS Extreme HD ) 21 | Rainbow S.p.A. (30%) ( Bardel Entertainment | Colorado Film | Rainbow CGI | Tridimensional | Witty Toys ) | RTL Spike 11 | RTV News Inc. | Red de Noticias | Republic Pictures | Republic Pictures Home Video | Satellite News Channel 22 | Sega | Simmons Bedding | Simon & Schuster | Spelling Entertainment Group Inc. | Spelling Films | Spelling Television | Spike ( Australia | Italy | Russia | Ukraine ) | Stax Records | Sunn Classic Pictures | TMF Flanders | TMF Dance | TMF NL | TMF Pure | TV Guide | TV.com | Taft Entertainment Pictures | Taft Entertainment Television | Taft, H-B Program Sales | TechRepublic | TeenNick (Italy) | Teen Nick Originals | Thomas-Spelling Productions | Torand Productions | TriStar Pictures | U.M. & M. TV Corporation | UPN | USA Network | UrbanBaby | VIVA ( Austria | Germany | Hungary ) | VH1 ( Adria | Denmark | Indonesia | Italy | Latin America (HD) | Poland | Romania | Russia | UK ) | VH1 Classic ( Europe ) | VH1 Films | VH1 MegaHits | VH1 Uno | Viacom ( Special Delivery ) | Viacom Consumer Products | Viacom Pictures | Viacom Blink! | Viacom New Media | VistaVision | Voot | Westinghouse Broadcasting Company | Westinghouse Broadcasting International | Wilshire Court Productions | Worldvision Home Video | ZDNet

Notes: 1 Joint venture with BeIN Media Group 2 Co-owned with TV18 3 Co-owned with NBCUniversal 5 Co-owned with 20th Century Fox 6 12.5% stake co-owned with Warner Bros. Discovery , the remaining 75% stake is owned by Nexstar Media Group . 7 Joint-venture with Weigel Broadcasting 8 Co-owned with Seoul Broadcasting System 9 Co-owned with Corus Entertainment 10 Co-owned with 1+1 Media 11 Co-owned with RTL Group 12 Joint venture with AMC Networks International 13 Joint venture with BBC 14 Joint venture with Marvel Comics 15 Co-owned with Grupo Abril from 1990 to 2009 16 Co-owned with Viva Entertainment 17 Joint venture with Hubbard Broadcasting 18 Co-owned with Solar Entertainment 19 51% owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting 20 Co-owned with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 21 Joint venture with RTL Group 22 Co-owned with ABC 23 Joint venture with Comcast 24 Co-owned with Viaplay Group 25 Co-owned with CH Media

• 2 JioCinema
• 3 Nickelodeon/Logo Variations

Viacom pinball » Remixes

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